To Miss Rivers, Clarges Street.
Silleri, March 13.
Still with Madame Des Roches; appearances are rather against him,
you must own, Lucy: but I will not say all I think to you. Poor Emily!
we dispute continually, for she will persist in defending his conduct;
she says, he has a right to marry whoever he pleases; that her loving
him is no tie upon his honor, especially as he does not even know of
this preference; that she ought only to blame the weakness of her own
heart, which has betrayed her into a false belief that their tenderness
was mutual: this is pretty talking, but he has done every thing to
convince her of his feeling the strongest passion for her, except
making a formal declaration.
She talks of returning to England the moment the river is open:
indeed, if your brother marries, it is the only step left her to take. I
almost wish now she had married Sir George: she would have had all the
_douceurs_ of marriage; and as to love, I begin to think men
incapable of feeling it: some of them can indeed talk well on the
subject; but self-interest and vanity are the real passions of their
souls. I detest the whole sex.
Adieu!
A. Fermor.